The Stress of Martin Desilets

Desilets took out a tough Valimaki at TFC 10. (photo by Jason Bouwmeester|pixelens.com)

The Oxford dictionary defines stress as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances”. On March 19, Martin “The Stress” Desilets defeated Victor “The Matrix” Valimaki via TKO late in the first round to capture the TFC Light Heavyweight title. Since then, adverse or demanding circumstances have been abundant in the life of Desilets.

With his title reign a mere six months old and marred in controversy with talk of illegal and dirty tactics, Desilets has not even had a chance to enjoy the biggest win in his career. Martin admits “I hit one low blow accidentally…” but denies landing a second illegal flurry. Martin states that “the ref was right there and did not stop it.”

Surprisingly, Desilets also admits he was not in the greatest shape heading into the first fight. Desilets maintains that he “had not been training a lot when I was approached with this first fight.” However, he promises this will not be the case when he returns to Edmonton for the rematch. “I have been working really hard and put a lot of time in the gym preparing for this fight,” states Stress.

The tension of a rematch has not been the only mental strain weighing on Desilets. The fact that he cannot get licensed in his home province has really stressed out the TFC champion. It bothers Desilets that “I can’t even fight in front of my friends and family.” Martin has a criminal record from a few years back that excludes him from getting the OK from the Quebec police to allow the RACJ (Regie des Alcools des Courses et des Jeux) to licence him as a fighter. Not only has this been a mental strain, but it has also been a financial strain. “I have had offers from the United States… and Europe”, but due to his criminal record, Desilets cannot get the appropriate work visas, which have caused him to turn down significant pay days.

Looking back on Oxford’s definition of stress, one can see the parallels that have been Desilets’ life over the past year. Martin is fully prepared to put all this behind him. He has put a lot of training time in with Steve Claveau at Team Legion and Firas Zahabi at Tri-Star Gym to make sure he keeps his TFC Light Heavyweight crown and continues to increase his value on the open market. Desilets even hinted at an offer pending a win at TFC 11. “I’ve had offers and considerations from other promotions”, mentions Desilets. He is even still considering his international options and is “going to try and send another application.”

September 10th is the new beginning for “The Stress” as the Victoriaville native once again ventures into enemy territory to defend his newly minted title. This time he will be coming in a new man with all emotional strains behind him and he can start a new chapter in his MMA career. “The Stress” vs. “The Matrix” should be the most enjoyable of demanding circumstances for all Canadian fight fans.

Great guy and fun to watch. He has a record; so what? He has paid his debt and moved on. They should go out and solve fucking crimes rather than harass people and let fighters earn their living and pay taxes. Let him fight in his home province, you fucking pricks.